Victoria County narrows search for judge appointment

The appointment for County Court-at-Law No. 1 Judge is down to the final five candidates.

However, if Victoria County Commissioners don't act soon, the judge's seat could sit empty after the current judge, Laura Weiser, leaves office Feb. 28.

The issue was originally set for a closed meeting Tuesday but was openly discussed at the insistence of District Attorney Stephen Tyler and several commissioners.

"Do it in the open, and then no one has any concerns about who was selected and how they were selected," Tyler said.

A five-person committee, appointed Jan. 22 by County Judge Don Pozzi, ranked the candidates after interviewing all 13 applicants and recommended its top three.

Pozzi said his preference was to see one recommendation and vote on that person.

However, commissioners voted 3-2 to interview the top five - Travis Ernst, Joyce Heller, Constance Filley-Johnson, Lidia Serrata and Eddie Wilkinson. They will meet with commissioners Monday for another round of interviews.

It's possible commissioners will name the new judge then.

Commissioners Gary Burns and Danny Garcia voted against the measure.

Burns, who made a push at the start of the meeting to keep the discussion open, said his perception was never that there would be a single recommendation. In addition to interviewing the top three, he wanted to review all resumes and interview any others the court agreed upon.

Commissioner Kevin Janak said it should be open to the top five, rather than the top three with handpicked applicants.

"If we start handpicking individuals, there will be favorites," he said.

Burns said he wants to be well-informed before voting on any candidate.

"The perception was that this committee had pre-picked who they wanted," Burns said. "I don't think that's the case."

Pozzi said he specifically included three attorneys, two with judge experience, because no county commissioner is expected to know what type of individual to look for for in hiring or appointing a judge.

Janak agreed.

"I worked cows for 30 years, and now I have to pick out a county court-at-law judge," he said. "I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not."

Dean said of all the interviewees, the committee felt strongly about three.

Ives said the process was a difficult task. His top pick was Wilkerson, who had a strong background in juvenile issues.

"We're splitting hairs between the three when it comes to qualifications," Ives said.

Elections Administrator George Matthews said in an email the commissioners court is responsible for appointing a replacement in the case of a vacancy, because the county court is created under the statutory authority of the legislature.

The Texas Government Code actually lists when the court is created, but the case law has confirmed that the appointment process is also when a vacancy occurs, Matthews said. There is no provision for conducting an election.

He added, in the case of school district trustees, the board may appoint a successor or may hold an election to fill a vacant position, but only school districts get that choice, not counties.

A city does not have the choice of appointment, only conducting an election to fill a vacancy, hence the special election for the District 3 position on the city council, he said.